


Aftermath.

by orphan_account



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Titans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-08-09 01:01:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7780864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren is haunted, and Levi's just as broken.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aftermath.

**Author's Note:**

> Wowowowowowowowowowow~~~ So I found this on my old anime blog, @sotiredofyourship. At this time I was SUPER into the Eren x Levi ship and that's where this came from. Anyways, his fic was inspired by the song ‘Aftermath’ by Muse.  
> Thanks and enjoy!  
> ~Jinxxie

Levi stood on the top of Wall Maria, looking into the horizon. The sun sat low in the sky, threatening to dip below the earth. If this were a different world, he may have felt some comfort. He may have felt good, may have called the sight beautiful, but he can’t. There is nothing beautiful about it. This world isn’t beautiful, it’s disgusting, corrupt. This world is evil. It takes from people what it wants. It takes from people what they hold most dear.

It takes homes, limbs, people; it takes all that you have. It tears you to shreds and makes you try to stand again. It makes you listen to the pained cries of you loved ones. To the cries of your comrades. It lets them haunt you. Those screams follow you everywhere. They come to you in sleep, and stay with you until they haunt your dreams again. They corrupt the good memories you may have had.

This is the world that the five survivors of the Survey Corps have to look forward to. This is the world that took Armin’s leg and fingers. The world that took Jean’s memory. The world that pushed Sasha into a coma. The world that haunts the dreams of Eren Jaeger and Levi Ackerman. This is the world that they fought to protect. Perhaps now they can try to move on. Perhaps now they can learn how to heal.

Maybe, just maybe, they will be able to work past their history. Maybe Sasha will wake up, and Jean will remember something other than the names of his comrades. Maybe Eren and Levi will find peace.

But just how likely are these things in a world like this? Can anyone truly know? No. They can’t. But they can hope.

Levi sighs as he begins his journey back to the old Survey Corps HQ. Despite the three months that have passed, he can’t seem to grow used to the emptiness of this place now. No Erwin. No Hanji. No Connie, or Mikasa. No one but these five broken souls. Alone.

As soon as he reached the old castle, he darts into his quarters. He takes off his jacket, boots, and cravat, unbuttons the top two buttons of his shirt, and sits behind his barren desk. Months ago, it was full of paperwork that Erwin had always pushed on him, but now it is as empty as this dank castle. He opens that bottom drawer of the desk and pulls out a glass and bottle of whisky. The glass was filled nearly to the brim before he took a generous drink from it.

Drinking brought him some peace, which was a bad sign. Then again, after all the shit he has survived, perhaps he’s earned his right to alcoholism. After all, it’s not like he as anything important to do anymore. As soon as the corpses of their comrades had been burned, the remnants of the Corps fell into a dark melancholy; no more fight, and no more fellowship.

Levi could feel the alcohol start to sink in when the first scream pierced the air. He winced as the second scream followed. His legs work on instinct as he exits his room and runs to the one next to it. He doesn’t knock. There’s no point. Once the door is open, he is greeted by darkness and the sound of heavy breathing. He walks in and sits on the bed in the left side of the room.

In the bed lies Eren, sweaty, sobbing, and whimpering. Levi grabs his shoulder and shakes him awake. Bloodshot, green eyes meet silver.

“You’re fine. You’re alive.” Levi says, pulling the boy into an embrace. Eren buries his face in Levi’s chest, listening to his heartbeat, feeling him move with every breath. “I’m here. I’m here…”

They stay there, Levi stroking the younger’s brown locks until he is calm. This is a nightly occurrence; Eren has a night-terror, Levi comforts him, and then Levi leaves him alone. Eren hates it now, being alone. Yet, he always is.

He and Armin haven’t spoken since their squad’s funeral. In fact, Eren hasn’t said a single word since then. The only human contact he’s had has been when Levi calms him after a terror. He spends his days alone, drawing, reading, anything to try to distract himself from his reality.

As he lay there in Levi’s arms, he realizes that he’s really let them all down. Armin. Levi. Jean. Sasha. Their trauma was his fault. Hell, he literally watched Mikasa die. He heard her bones snapping; it was his mother’s death all over again. He’d let another family member die. Armin never tried to speak to him again because he lost those limbs protecting Eren; and how did he repay him? By letting the others die.

“Oi, Eren, look at me.” Levi’s voice shook him from his thoughts. He looks up to the older man and cocks his head to the side a bit. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Eren shakes his head.

“It wasn’t. You did all you could.” Levi says, for the 97th time. 97 nights he’s told Eren that he wasn’t to blame. 97 nights Eren disagreed and prolonged his own suffering. 97 nights he’s dreamt his regrets.

He pulls back and looks at Levi properly. He swallows thickly.

“Th-thank y-you.” he stutters out. His voice is raspy from disuse. The surprised look on Levi’s face almost makes him smile.

“Does this mean you realize that you’re not to blame?” Eren clears his throat again.

“No. I still feel like it’s my fault.” Levi shakes his head and takes the brunette’s hands in his own, which is a shocker all on its own. This is a night of firsts, that’s for sure.

“Well stop fucking thinking that, Eren. Those people, Erwin, Hanji, Ymir, Mikasa, Connie, they didn’t join to be protected; they joined to protect. They wanted to fight. They were willing to die for what they wanted to protect. Mikasa didn’t die because of you, Eren, she died for you. She died so that you could continue living. She died so you could live happily. If she could see you now, I’m sure she’d be hurting. She wouldn’t want to see you like this. I don’t want to see you like this either. So please, if not for Mikasa, then for me, please, forgive yourself.”

Tears begin to spill again as Eren chokes down a sob. Levi is right. He’s so, so very right. He hasn’t thought like that. He looks up to the raven-haired man and, for the first time in a very long time, smiles. It’s not a forced smile, but a genuine one. One that he thought he’d never show again. He wraps himself around Levi once more, tears flowing freely down his flushed cheeks.

“You’re right. Thank you.” He feels Levi place a gentle kiss on the top of his head before the older man pulls away and stands up. Before he can leave, Eren grabs his wrist, finally willing to say what he’s wanted to for the longest time: “Please stay. I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

Levi looks surprised for the second time tonight. He slowly crawls into the bed with Eren. The boy covers them both with the thick blanket as Levi wraps his arms firmly around his waist. The brunette buries his face into the older man’s chest once more.

“I promise, you will never be alone. I’m here, now and forever. You’re loneliness dies here.” Levi whispers into Eren’s hair. The boy looks up to him smiling before closing the gap between them. Their lips connect gently for a few moments. It’s a brief kiss, but it conveys all that they have felt. It conveys their will to start over, in this cruel, yet beautiful world.

For the first time in 97 days, Eren and Levi both sleep without a terror.

For the first time in 97 days, they are both at peace.


End file.
